White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre dismissed reporters urging her to practice good hygiene and good governance after it was revealed that the president had a root canal on Sunday.
Biden also had a follow-up procedure from doctors at Walter Reed Medical Center, the White House revealed, forcing Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him at an event featuring college athletes while cutting other events from his schedule.
“I mean, I’m definitely not a dentist. So I can’t speak to what leads to a root canal, I know it’s a regular dental procedure, it’s not uncommon,” she said at her press conference at the White House on Monday.
She was speaking in response to a question about why Biden needed the root canal — and “whether he doesn’t brush his teeth or floss better.” He underwent a similar procedure as a senator in the 1990s.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre faced questions about why the White House only revealed on Monday that President Biden had a root canal. He had proceedings at the White House on Sunday and follow-up proceedings on Monday
“Wow, are you talking to the millions of Americans across the country – are you going to ask them that question too,” said Jean-Pierre angrily.
She said Biden is “doing fine” and would work at the White House residence.
Jean-Pierre was also pressed for why the White House only described on Monday a procedure that the 80-year-old Biden underwent on Sunday.
She said she was “not aware” of any other administration that “told a dental procedure.”
However, one report from 2002 indicates that George W. Bush’s White House has made information available about a cleanup and a presidential crown.
Biden’s brief absence forced him to reschedule a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg as Ukraine begins its counter-offensive on the alliance’s eastern flank.
It also affected his vice president and running mate, who filled a Rose Garden ceremony for him with college athletes.
Vice President Kamala Harris filled in for Biden at an event for college athletes
Asked directly by DailyMail.com when Harris found out, Harris replied, “She found out when we all found out this morning.”
Asked if and why she was unaware when it happened, she replied, “I mean, it was a routine procedure. It’s a normal routine procedure, so this is something that, if you do anything, is between the doctor and certainly the president, and so I’ll leave it at that, but we all found out this morning.
‘There’s nothing mysterious about it. It’s a normal thing that a lot of people go through,” she said
Biden had a root canal on Sunday that was completed Monday, forcing him to skip an event featuring NCAA athletes and a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
White House physician Kevin O’Connor wrote in a letter Monday morning that 80-year-old Biden had a toothache on Sunday and was determined to undergo a root canal, which was performed by Walter Reed’s team in the dental surgery of the White House.
“He is experiencing even more discomfort this morning, which was expected,” the doctor said Monday. “Walter Reed’s endodontic team is completing the president’s root canal at the White House today.”
The 25th Amendment does not need to be invoked because a patient is not anesthetized for the procedure.
Right after the White House sent the doctor’s note, the schedule changed to show that Vice President Kamala Harris would headline the event with the winning athletes instead of the president.
Later on Monday, the White House said the Stoltenberg meeting was moved to Tuesday, along with a Monday night reception for the Chiefs of Mission.
President Joe Biden had a root canal on Sunday that was completed Monday, forcing him to skip an event featuring NCAA athletes, a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and a Monday evening reception with Chiefs of Mission
White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor sent a letter Monday morning saying the president received the second part of a root canal
The College Athlete Day event will attract champions from volleyball, ice hockey, track and field and other sporting events.
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff will also be present.
The president previously hosted the women’s basketball champions, Louisiana State University, and the men’s, the University of Connecticut.
As the 2024 race progresses, questions have continually been raised about Biden’s health, as he is the oldest man to ever serve as president.
Earlier this month, Biden tripped and fell during a graduation ceremony at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado.
“I got sandbags,” he later joked, because that was the item on the floor that got him in trouble.
Former President Donald Trump, Biden’s main Republican rival, mocked the 80-year-old for stumbling.
‘Did he really fall? Well, I hope he wasn’t hurt,” Trump said in Iowa.
Vice President Kamala Harris (left) had to replace President Joe Biden at an event for NCAA college athletes on South Lawn Monday when he completed a root canal. She appeared with her husband, Second Mr. Doug Emhoff (right)
“You have to be careful with that,” the former president continued, even if you “have to tiptoe down a slope,” he added, making a fool of himself for a moment that went viral in June 2020.
Trump’s slow walk down a ramp at West Point raised questions about his health as he battled for re-election against Biden.
Biden has also climbed the stairs of Air Force One several times and fell off his bicycle during a trip to Rehoboth Beach last June.
That’s in addition to being blunder-prone.
In February, the White House released the results of Biden’s second physical session.
O’Connor said Biden was “healthy” and “vigorous” and that the main noticeable difference was a lesion on his chest that was sent for cancer screening.
In March, O’Connor said the lesion was basal cell carcinoma, a common and non-aggressive form of skin cancer.
Biden did not need follow-up, the doctor said, after removing the lesion.
Biden’s physical examination included a “neurological exam” that found nothing “consistent with cerebellar or central neurological disease,” but no cognitive test, which Republicans have demanded.
Presidential candidate Nikki Haley, the former UN ambassador and governor of South Carolina, opened her bid for the 2024 White House in February with a call for candidates over 75 to undergo “competency testing.”
While much of her anger was directed at Biden, Trump would also fit, as he turns 77 later this week.